Trapped Between A Rock and A Hard Place
by ForeverPercabeth
Summary: The gods always ruin everything and it's seriously getting to Annabeth's nerves. Set years after the Giant War.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! It's been a while, hasn't it? Just wanted to post yet another product of my ever-thinking mind for all of you to criticize. I honestly don't know where this one is going so feedback is very much accepted. Hope you like this:)**

**Quick update on my life: Recently graduated from high school! Still can't let go of Percy even with BoO out for such a long time already.**

**Warning: Severe Percabeth fluff, the tiniest hint of lemon (just one sentence, don't sue me!) and weird immortal ships. (Slight OOC for dear Aphrodite)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO.**

Annabeth Chase honestly felt victimized by the situation.

She wouldn't have felt that way if the gods decided to leave her and her beloved boyfriend alone after constantly bothering them the past decade. She was twenty-three now, for goodness sake. She needed more freedom from her immortal relatives.

It also didn't help that she was so suddenly pulled away from such an amazing life. Percy had been recognized for his swimming prowess and ended up as the United States' Olympian gold medalist, as well as the most famous marine biologist of the century. She, on the other hand, finally fulfilled her dream of being the head architect of a stupidly successful construction firm after properly working in it after a few months.

To say that people envied her would be an understatement. She was young. She was successful. She was beautiful beyond comprehension with a brain that can rival all modern day scientists. And despite that, she still remained to be a good-hearted individual. It really did surprise her because, as a demigod, she never really expected to be given such an amazing life after the war. She was more than sure that her uncles, aunts, and cousins might have just killed her off after they were done with her. But here she was, hopelessly in love with her fiancé and her career.

Percy Jackson remained impossibly perfect throughout the entire shift. He was in the National Training Pool at the age of seventeen and excelled much quicker than any of them could have imagined. It also helped that he _belongs _in the water. Right after the Olympics, he decided to train at home instead of going through ridiculous sessions he didn't need, just so that he would remain close to his Wise Girl. At twenty-one, he took on Marine biology and helped the mortals discover further the deepest parts of the ocean.

Percy was definitely the most desired man in the planet. He was much more intelligent than he was in the past, a little less impulsive, a little less clumsy. His confidence boosted drastically but not to the point where he was full of himself. He still remained to be that chivalrous hero who would risk his life for the sake of the innocent. He remained humble and down-to-earth, kind and open-minded, friendly and childlike. He was still laid-back, still loved to joke around and play stupid games. Only now, he was more mature.

So yeah, Annabeth's life was _perfect_. She had everything she could possibly want in life and everything she only dreamed to have. The gods had finally done them right.

_Wrong._

Annabeth Chase woke up in her large king-sized bed like she usually does, wrapped up in Percy Jackson's arms as he slept peacefully beside her. The morning was beautiful, almost like a dream. It was customary for her to wake up hours before he did but she always ends up cuddling into his warmth and sleep until they both reach consciousness at the same time. This wasn't any different.

She was rather exhausted to say the least. The passionate night of lovemaking left her dazed and unaware. It was Percy's birthday yesterday, as well as their seventh anniversary so it was only natural for them to celebrate. Oh, the sensations he made her feel… just the idea of it sent shivers up her spine. His bare skin against hers, his scent clouding any logical thought she had, the sounds that escaped his velvet lips. She knew that she wouldn't last a day without him, not because she was incapable but because she was so used to his presence that she would die of separation anxiety before she could do anything. That's why they go to business trips together.

It was already eight in the morning, Wednesday. Both of them work from the house anyways so they dictate the time they start their day. Plus, for some reason, Percy after sex was much harder to detach from than any other physical state. She was a logical thinker, yes, but logic can take you only so far and she just chose to throw caution out the window and succumb to the irresistible temptation that is Percy Jackson.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that he had woken up, watching her with an amused smirk plastered on his perfectly-proportionate features. She should be used to this by now, especially since she was sitting front-row in the intriguing show that was Percy's puberty but it still made her gasp at how godlike he was in his perfection. She was actually glad for the scars that littered his body. It made him look more human than immortal.

"Good morning, Ms. Jackson." He greeted teasingly, nuzzling his face against the soft skin of her neck. "How was your sleep?"

"I'm not Ms. Jackson yet, Seaweed Brain." She replied with a chuckle, "But I did have a wonderful dream last night, about you and me inside that tool shed back in Camp…" She trailed off, watching his expression darken with lust at the memory. "How foolish we were back then."

He smashed his lips against hers roughly, their tongues colliding in a heated give-and-take they were more than familiar with. His hands started seeking for anything to hold, her grip tightened around the sheets to keep her grounded. He was still so gentle with her when he entered, cooing loving words into her ear until he was buried to the hilt. She would praise him for his ministrations, scream his name, keep him completely at her mercy. He would take her over and over and over again until he couldn't anymore.

After their activity, they separated ways to their own offices inside their home. More times than not, they would visit each other and cause as much distractions as possible. Annabeth was tasked to design a mansion for some famous celebrity and she really couldn't be bothered by it. Of course, she wasn't going to procrastinate anything but she wasn't against doing something else. Plus, said client had been shamelessly flirting with Percy that it was starting to get into Annabeth's nerves.

"You know, you could always say no." He had just finished with his daily workload and decided to keep his beloved company. As of the moment, he was massaging the tension out of her shoulders as she fussed over the design currently being drafted in a separate sheet of paper.

"But I already agreed to it. I can't just back out. What will they think of me? I'm not unreliable, Seaweed Brain." She huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know that's not what I meant. If you're not comfortable with the job you're doing, you could always pass it on to someone who would happily take it. Annabeth, remember you're doing this because you love it. Not because you have a reputation to uphold." He placed a small kiss on her cheek to calm her down. She was getting rather anxious with this build. It wasn't particularly difficult. She designed much harder things than that. It was just that she hated her client with a passion and didn't want to see her face at all. That's a totally legitimate explanation and everything.

"I'll start making lunch. What do you want?" He was absentmindedly braiding her hair as he waited for an answer. Annabeth intentionally prolonged her response just so that she could feel the pleasurable sensation of Percy's soft tugs and light brushes.

After a few minutes, she finally decided not to keep her fiancé waiting any longer. "How about some pasta? It's been a while since we've had Italian."

"And what kind shall that be, love?"

She smiled at him, feeling most of her stress being lifted from her shoulders. "Surprise me."

It was during lunch when the doorbell rang. For some reason, the demigod couple felt apprehensive as Percy stood to open the door. They lived in an isolated area quite near Montauk Beach. They rarely had visitors and, if ever they did have, it would be their friends who didn't even bother asking for permission to enter. There was more than enough times when Piper McLean or Leo Valdez walked in on them in the process of undressing. But that's a story for another time.

Honestly, Percy would rather face a monster than the person in front of him.

Aphrodite, goddess of love, lust and beauty was standing there, looking rather agitated despite the alluring smile on her lips. She greeted the son of Poseidon with a kiss on the cheek before inviting herself into his home. Instead of taking a seat, though, she started pacing across the hallway, her heels clicking against the wooden floorboards and echoing throughout the entire house.

"What's the problem, Aphrodite?" Annabeth sighed in exasperation. She knew that this day was too good to be true. The Fates wouldn't allow her to have such a nice life without ruining it at some point.

"Chaos in Olympus. We have absolutely no idea what to do. Zeus… he fainted from the news. Zeus FAINTED. Everyone's in a panic…." The goddess started hyperventilating before she could finish her story. Percy directed her to a seat and gave her a glass of water.

"Wait, so where's my mom to talk sense into the Olympians?" Annabeth asked in confusion, feeling the slightest bit of worry stirring in her stomach.

The immortal looked at the demigoddess with an expression that rivaled Medusa's. "Your mother is the cause of all this. Athena and Poseidon are… getting married."

**Love the turn of events. I'm accepting any possible plot bridges from here. My mind is blank. Help please! (*begging on my knees*)**

**But I honestly love you guys a lot. You've pulled me through some rough times:) Keep the fandom going!**


	2. Chapter 2

**After a lot of waiting, here is chapter 2. I finally have things sorted out and I can already see how I'm going to end this story:) I just needed a lot of self seeking and meditation (pssh... like I do that right?) to get my head jogging.**

**Disclaimer: I dun own anything but the plot.**

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Uncomfortable silence filled the room, only to be broken by a quick-thinking Seaweed Brain. "Shouldn't you be happy about that? I mean, you are in charge of that part." Percy pointed out bluntly, completely unbothered by the situation. Annabeth, too, didn't see the big deal. Gods are unpredictable beings. One millennium, they might hate each other and in the next, they're hopelessly in love. It wasn't anything they were new to.

As if some sense was knocked into the love goddess, she suddenly stopped pacing. "Oh, yeah. I guess all the negative emotion was getting the best of me. I've been pining for them to get together the past few centuries." The half-mortal couple face-palmed, looking at their immortal relative with exasperation.

"Is that the only reason why you're here? I mean, not that you're not welcome or anything…." Percy was sure that he was giving the love goddess a hint to leave, probably in the most polite way he could. "We're kinda in the middle of something."

Aphrodite tilted her head in confusion and shrugged, "No, I almost forget there was one more thing!" She sounded giddy, which scared Annabeth for some reason. "Athena and Poseidon want you two to plan the wedding! It was actually Hermes who was meant to deliver the message but I got so excited that I went to do it myself."

It took the couple a while to register the information shoved to their faces. Once they did, they felt their hearts sink to the ground in the most comical way possible. And this wasn't one of those situations where they could just decline. No, they were talking about their parents here. If they said no, it means a lifetime of hell and Annabeth Chase didn't want that in her almost perfect life. "Um… why can't you or Hera do it?" Percy suggested meekly, not meaning to sound like he was passing the torturous duty to someone else but that was the way it came out of his mouth.

"No one really knows, dear. Athena specifically requested you two to do it, since you two are getting married soon, too! Oh my gods, we could make it a double wedding! I have to tell the others immediately!" Before the heroes of Olympus could argue with the statement, the goddess disappeared from their sight.

Annabeth looked to Percy in exasperation, unable to comprehend the consequences of what had just happened. If her mother agreed to a double wedding, it would be very difficult for them to get out of that. "What just happened?" The son of Poseidon looked towards his lover in confusion, his eyebrows scrunched together adorably.

"I think we agreed to get married the same time our parents are." Annabeth couldn't believe what she was saying herself. She wanted to marry Percy, yes, but they had everything planned already. Now all of those sleepless nights making sure everything was perfect during her big day just went out the window. "I love my mom and all but this is certainly not the best idea she's _going _to agree to."

Seaweed Brain groaned in exasperation, using his palm to wipe his face. After a few seconds of steady breathing, his mind started completely processing the pros and the cons of the event. "Well, I mean, we don't have to spend anything anymore." He suggested weakly, having a hard time convincing himself as well.

"It's not like we can't afford it, Perce. It was supposed to be _our _day and I don't want to sound selfish but I want us to be the center of everybody's attention. A double wedding is absolutely out of the question."

"I know, Wise Girl, but maybe we can formulate a better alternative? Or maybe compromise? We're talking to the most logical god existing. If Athena can't see that we don't like it, then no one can." His hands found hers and he flashed her an adorable smile. Her anger dissipated to nonexistence and she found herself wrapped up in her fiancé's arms, feeling as if everything was right in the world.

She kissed him softly, "Well, I guess it's worth a try. What's the worst that can happen, right?" He nodded, appreciating her open-mindedness and looked towards the unfinished lasagna lying abandoned on the breakfast table. Apparently, both of them lost their appetite after what had happened and decided to just put the food in the fridge for them to eat later on. It's been a while since they ate leftovers.

Just like always, they turned to their friends when they were forced with major indecision. Annabeth swore to herself that, the next time she sees Leo again, she will have to shove him inside her office so that he could die of boredom for laughing at her and her lover's predicament. "Well, if it's any help to you guys, I think a double wedding would be amazing. I mean, imagine how grand it would be… everyone from Olympus will be witnesses to your love!" Okay, maybe Piper wasn't the best person to talk to. She didn't use to be like this. Annabeth, personally, blamed Drew for brainwashing a perfectly good friend into becoming such a lovey-dovey teenage girl.

"Pipes, if you know us and our relationship at all, you should understand that we don't want some huge wedding. Remember? It was initially just close friends and family, maybe a few Olympians…." The wisdom goddess' daughter found herself daydreaming about her special day… before Aphrodite came along and ruined everything. "You know what, if your mom wants a double wedding, why don't you and Jason take our place?"

"Not a good idea, Bethy." Jupiter's son answered from behind his fiancée. Annabeth glared at him for the stupid nickname before hitting Percy in the arm for laughing at her reaction. "If Aphrodite wants you two, she'll get you two. We're hardly a replacement to the infamous Percabeth."

She looked towards her green-eyed betrothed and pouted. He laughed harder, "You know, if this whole thing is stressing you out, why don't we just fly to Vegas and get married there."

"That's actually not a bad idea." She was so desperate that something she will never consider doing in her whole lifetime suddenly became a more attractive option than sharing the altar with her godly parent and future father-in-law.

"But doing that means that you'll be suffering with Aphrodite's wrath for the rest of your married life. C'mon, guys, maybe it's not going to be as bad as you think. If you really don't want it, negotiate. It's as simple as that." Hazel was probably the only sane person in the present conversation. Even Frank seemed at a loss for words.

"No one in Camp must know about this. If the media finds out that Percy and I aren't having a wedding, we're going to have paparazzi following us like tails." Annabeth warned her closest friends, seeing them raise their eyebrows through the IM.

"What's in it for us?" Leo taunted smugly, feeling superior despite his inability to comprehend what he had just said.

Percy smirked evilly, something the heroes haven't seen in a very long time. "We won't kill you. Simple as that."

The Seven Argonauts came to an agreement to support the couple through their exaggerated dilemma and keep them company when they visit the Empire State Building for the much needed talk with both Poseidon and Athena. Honestly, none of the demigods could possibly fathom the implications of having the two rivals married and they'd rather not think about it.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

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**As always, feedback is very much appreciated. Feel free to criticize or compliment the work. Ask questions if need be and I'll try my best to answer them. Love you all!**

**(psst... if you're still reading this far, please check out my other story called 'Heartsongs'... it's cool, I promise) Ehem, I didn't just self-promote a story! That's completely absurd!**


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